The New Recruit
by Jack Stryker
Summary: My first fic, rewritten. Wolf has given up his evil ways and a wolf named Kyle, who happens to be an old friend of Wolf, joins the Star Fox team.
1. Prolouge

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Fox, nor do I own any of its characters. The only characters I own are ones that you probably don't recognize. Star Fox is the property of Nintendo. This story is for entertainment purposes only. Blah blah blah.

****

Star Fox: The new Recruit

By Jack Stryker

****

Prologue

Wolf O'Donnell stood in front of the crashed Wolfen IIIs with his smoking blaster in hand. His wingmen were dead and he was the one who killed them.

Wolf had realized that he had taken the wrong path, by following Andross and obeying his orders. He had realized that hunting down Fox and his friends only got him in further trouble and almost got him killed. Wolf's wingmen wanted nothing more than revenge on Fox, but Wolf just wanted to get away from his tortured past. He knew that his wingmen would hunt him down if he had just left them, so he decided to set them up.

He told them that they were going to attack Corneria and lure the Star Fox team to them. Before they left for Corneria, Wolf planted a C4 detonator on each of their ships. Upon their arrival, he set off the charges and crippled his wingmen's ships. Then he shot them down one by one. Just to make sure they were dead, Wolf landed where his wingmen had crashed. Pigma was lying dead in his cockpit and Leon appeared to be lying motionless on the ground near his downed ship. Andrew was the only one who appeared to be alive, until Wolf drew his blaster and shot him in the head.

After looking at the bodies for a few seconds, he holstered his blaster.

"Sorry I had to do that, boys," he said, "but it was for my own good."

* * *

General Pepper hummed as he checked off a few applicants from some more would-be Cornerian recruits, when suddenly out of the corner of his eye, he noticed an envelope being pushed under the door. As he put his pen down and got up to retrieve the letter, he thought he heard someone moving through the hallway. He opened the door and looked around, but found nobody in sight. Shrugging, he picked up the envelope and looked at it. It was addressed to him and was from Wolf O'Donnell.

"Oh, no." he said, "This isn't a death threat, is it?"

Pepper opened the envelope and read the letter inside. He was astonished by what was written. What was even more surprising to him, however, was the pictures that were included.

"I don't believe this!" he said.

A few minutes later, while Pepper was still looking at the pictures, there was a knock on his door.

"Come in." he said.

The door opened, and a Cornerian army medic came into the office. His name was Kyle Wolfowitz and he was a black wolf. He was 23 years old and spent several years in the Cornerian military. He saluted Pepper, who saluted back.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Kyle asked.

"Yes, Wolfowitz." said Pepper, "Please, take a seat."

Kyle sat down.

"You've heard of the Star Fox team, haven't you?" Pepper asked.

"Who hasn't?" Kyle replied.

"Right. Well, it seems that they're looking for a doctor to join their team. I've been looking at your records and you seem to be the most qualified person for the job."

Kyle could hardly believe it. For years, he'd been hearing about the Star Fox team and all the great things that they'd done. All that time, he'd dreamed of becoming a member of the team and now his dream was about to come true.

______________________________________________________________________________

End of the Prologue


	2. Meeting Kyle

****

Chapter 1 – Meeting Kyle

Things were going great for the Star Fox team. Fox had saved Dinosaur Planet, destroyed Andross, and made new friends along the way including Krystal and Prince Tricky. Not only that, but Falco, who had left the team, came back and helped Fox to destroy Andross for good.

Krystal had to leave, but as a token of her undying gratitude, she gave Fox a magical ring that would allow whoever wore it to teleport anywhere that they had been before. Fox had hoped that Krystal would thank him in a different way, but he wasn't too disappointed. He wasn't the best at talking to women, but he had made a note to visit her again some time. Now the team was about to return to Corneria to take some time off and make the most of their payment. Fox had just woken up from a long, much needed sleep and was now sitting on his bed, playing an electronic chess game.

"Now, you're gonna get it!" he said.

He took the computer's Rook with his Knight.

"HA!" he said, holding up the Rook.

The computer moved its Queen next to Fox's King. Its Bishop was in the Queen's path, which protected it.

"Checkmate. I win." the computer's voice said.

Fox growled as he threw the Rook down.

"One of these days, I'm gonna beat you!" he said.

Fox turned off the game, and walked into his private bathroom. After taking a long shower he began getting dressed. As he picked up his scarf, which once belonged to his father, he looked at it for a few seconds and sighed. Lately, he'd been thinking about his father and the last time he saw him. It was eight years ago when he defeated Andross for the first time.

* * *

__

"If I go down, I'm taking you with me!"

Fox screamed at the top of his lungs, thinking he was dead for sure.

"AAAAAAH!"

Suddenly, James' spirit came to him in his Arwing!

"Don't EVER give up, my son."

"…Father?!"

"Follow me, Fox."

James led Fox out of the base, right before it went up in flames. Fox then met up with his wingmen, who were relieved to see him alive. He looked around for James' Arwing, but never saw him again. Even now, he couldn't get that event out of his mind.

* * *

Trying his best to forget, Fox put his scarf on. He wasn't very hungry, so he decided to skip breakfast and walked straight to the command post. Peppy was taking one of his daily naps, while Falco was sitting in his chair reading a comic book, and Slippy was behind the jukebox, repairing it. Falco glanced up as Fox took his seat.

"Mornin' Fox." he said.

"Did you guys break the jukebox again?!" Fox asked.

"Hey, it wasn't _my_ fault!" Falco said, "It just stopped working."

"I think I found the problem." said Slippy.

"What's wrong with it?" asked Fox.

Slippy held up the plug and said, "It's not plugged in."

Falco slapped his forehead as Slippy put the plug back in. To make sure it was still working, Slippy selected a song. Too late he realized that he had left the volume up all the way and the song blasted out, waking Peppy up.

"Jeez, Slippy, will you turn that down?!" he shouted.

"Sorry!" Slippy said, turning the volume down.

"Never a dull moment." Fox said to himself.

"Sir," said ROB, "we are receiving a message from General Pepper!"

"Put it on screen." said Fox.

General Pepper's face appeared on the screen.

"Welcome back, Star Fox!" he said, "Once again, I want to congratulate you on a job well done. But that's not the reason I called you. I know that you're looking for a doctor and I think I may have found just the right person for you. I also have something else I want to talk to you about in my office, so come see me as soon as you can."

"Yes, sir." said Fox.

The transmission ended.

"I wonder who this new doctor is?" said Peppy.

"I don't know." said Fox, "But we'll find out soon."

* * *

"Are they always this… punctual?" asked Kyle.

"Oh, they'll be here soon." said Pepper, "Just give them some time."

No sooner than he said it, there was a knock on his office door.

"There, you see? They're here." said Pepper, "Come on in."

The door opened and the Star Fox team came in through the doorway. They saluted the General, who saluted back.

"Good afternoon, Star Fox." he said, "I'm glad you could make it. Now, I'd like you all to meet Kyle Wolfowitz."

Kyle got up from his chair and shook hands with everyone.

"Kyle's the best medic in the entire army and an excellent shooter."

"Pleasure to meet you." Fox said.

"Likewise." said Kyle. "Let me just tell you that it'll be an honor to serve on your team."

__

'Hmmm… he seems nice enough.' Fox thought.

"And one other thing," said Pepper, "I've just received this letter from someone you probably know. I think you may want to read it for yourself."

Pepper handed the letter to Fox. Fox read aloud.

"General Pepper,

I know that you are very busy, so I'll get right to the point. I have given up my evil ways. I now know that I was a fool to serve Andross. Taking orders from him and trying to kill Fox McCloud only got me in further trouble and put my own life in danger. 

Therefore, I have personally made sure that my former wingmen will do no more harm to you or anyone else on Corneria. As of this point, the Star Wolf team is no more. To prove this, I have enclosed a few pictures that you might find interesting. 

Wolf O'Donnell"

Fox was stunned. He couldn't believe what he had just read.

"Wolf?!" said Falco, "Turning good?! Now I've heard everything!"

"Oh, I almost forgot." said Pepper, "These pictures came with it."

Pepper handed the pictures to Fox. Everyone gasped at what they saw. The pictures showed Wolf's wingmen on the ground, dead.

"Oh, my god!" said Fox, "He killed them!"

"Good riddance." said Peppy. "I ought to thank Wolf when I get the chance."

"I really don't know if this is true or not," Pepper said, "so I would keep an eye out for Wolf if I were you. Be prepared if he shows up and tries to kill you again."

"No problem." said Fox, "Anything else?"

"That is all. You may go now."

Everyone started to leave.

"Oh, and Kyle," said Pepper, "Why don't you show the team what you can do in the shooting range?"

"It'd be my pleasure, sir." said Kyle.

"Well this ought to be good." Falco said to Fox.

* * *

Kyle set up a target and pushed the button, which sent it back a few feet. He drew his blaster and started firing at the target. After a few shots, he pulled out a small mirror, turned around, looked into the mirror, pointed the blaster behind him, and began firing again. Then, throwing the blaster up into the air, Kyle quickly took off his boots, and got down on his back. He held up his paw and caught the blaster in his toes. Then, holding it steady with his other paw, he started firing. All of his shots hit the center of the target and everyone stared back in awe.

"Damn!" said Falco.

Peppy polished his glasses, put them back on, and looked again.

"Unbelievable!" he said.

"You're good!" said Slippy.

Kyle tossed the blaster into the air, and caught it in his hand. After standing up, he holstered his weapon and put his boots back on. 

"What do you think?" he asked.

For a few seconds, Fox just stared at the target. Finally, he turned to Kyle and held out his hand.

"You're in." he said.

________________________________________________________________________

End of Chapter 1


	3. Vacation goes awry

****

Chapter 2 – Vacation goes awry

"So, you really did all that without your blaster?" Kyle asked Fox.

"Yep." said Fox, "Krystal's staff wasn't exactly my choice of weapon, but hey."

"Well, according to the rules of combat," said Kyle, "if it's stupid but it works, it ain't stupid."

Peppy grinned.

"That sounds like something James McCloud would say." he said.

The team had spent the day at a hotel, and now they were all kicking back and relaxing at the pool. While Slippy and Falco were swimming, Fox, Kyle, and Peppy were sitting in lounge chairs, talking to each other and having some drinks. Kyle had told them about himself and how he served in the military. Everyone seemed to like him.

"How long have you been fighting Wolf O'Donnell?" Kyle asked.

"Since the Lylat war." said Fox, "I never actually met him before that. And after the war, I never heard from him again."

"So you didn't really hate each other?"

"Well, I don't know if he ever had any kind of grudge against me. All I know is that he was hired by Andross to kill me. Needless to say, I foiled all of his attempts."

"You know Wolf?" asked Peppy.

Kyle nodded.

"He was a friend of mine when we were pups." he said, "When my parents were killed, I took to the streets, where I met him. We tried our best to survive, by scrounging for food and sleeping wherever we could. Then, one day, we stumbled upon a gang who was wanted by the police. When they came after us, we ran in opposite directions to try and lose them. I was rescued by a policeman, who happened to be driving by, but after that I never saw Wolf again."

"Poor Wolf." Peppy said to Fox, "I can't help but feel sorry for him."

Fox nodded. As much as he hated to admit it, he also felt pity for Wolf. It was then that Kyle had a flashback the day when he and Wolf parted.

* * *

__

"Run! RUN!"

"They're gaining on us, Wolf!"

"Let's split up! I'll go right, you go left!"

Kyle and Wolf both ran in opposite directions. Kyle turned his head and saw that half of the gang was still after him. He kept running until he tripped and fell face down on the sidewalk. He started to cry.

"Oh, look. The poor baby got hurt."

"What'sa matter? You get a boo boo?"

One of the thugs grabbed Kyle by the neck and pulled out a knife as the others started laughing. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, followed by the sound of sirens. It was a police car.

"Oh shit! The cops! Let's get outta here!"

The thug let go of Kyle and they all ran. The officer stopped right next to Kyle and got out of his car. He walked up to Kyle, who was crying and shivering with fear, and put his hand gently on Kyle's shoulder. Kyle calmed down, and looked up.

"It's alright, Son. You're safe now." 

The officer helped Kyle up. Kyle had a few bruises and scrapes, but he wasn't bleeding anywhere and nothing was broken or irreparable.

"Where's your family? Do they know you're here?"

__

Kyle shook his head, tears still in his eyes.

"I… I don't h-have a *sniff* family. My… my mom and dad are… *sniff* dead!"

He started crying again.

"Come on, Son. Let's get you somewhere safe."

That was the last that Kyle had ever seen of Wolf. The police searched for months but, although they eventually caught the gang members, they never found Wolf.

* * *

Kyle stood up.

"I think I'll go for a swim, now." he said.

Hoping that swimming would help him take his mind off that terrible day, Kyle walked up to the pool. After testing the water with his paw, he jumped in. The splash threw water into Falco's face.

"Thank you!" Falco said, trying to get the water out of his eyes.

"Sorry." said Kyle.

* * *

Kyle came out of the bathroom, fully dressed and combing the fur on his head. Fox was kneeling in front of his bed, playing his chess game.

"I still think it's cheating somehow." he said.

"Yeah, I never did like playing against the computer." Kyle replied.

Kyle, still exhausted from swimming, lay down on his bed and started taking a nap. After losing his Queen to a Bishop, Fox sighed and turned off the game. Just as he was about to lie down, he heard the sound of something hard hitting the floor.

"What was that?" he asked.

"What?" Kyle said, springing back awake.

Suddenly, Kyle spotted a gas grenade on the floor between the beds.

"Fox, look out!" 

But he had spoken too late. The grenade exploded in a cloud of gas. Fox and Kyle began coughing until they both passed out.

* * *

"Sir, we have Fox McCloud and his new recruit in custody."

"Excellent. Bring them to me."

________________________________________________________________________

End of Chapter 2


	4. Meeting the villain

****

Chapter 3 – Meeting the villain

Kyle slowly woke up and found himself locked inside a prison cell with Fox, who was lying still in front of him. Kyle quickly checked Fox's vital signs and was relieved to know that he was still alive. Kyle had seen those gas grenades during his service in the Cornerian army, but those grenades contained poison gas meant to kill enemy soldiers. Whoever used that one on them obviously wanted them alive. Gradually, Fox woke up. After noticing Kyle in front of him, he looked around.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Kyle replied.

Suddenly, a voice in front of them said, "Alright, you two, you're coming with me."

Fox and Kyle looked up. There was a gray wolf in front of them, dressed in a Venom military officer's uniform and wearing sunglasses. He was pointing a pistol at them as he unlocked the cell door.

"Wolf." Fox snarled, "I should've known you were lying."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Everything you said in that letter. All of it was…"

"Uh, Fox," Kyle interrupted, "That's not Wolf."

"If you're referring to Wolf O'Donnell," the officer said, "then no, I'm not that pathetic excuse for a pilot."

The officer opened the cell door and escorted them out of the room at gunpoint.

"How did you know he wasn't Wolf?" Fox asked Kyle.

"I remember Wolf's smell," said Kyle. "and Wolf never smelled as bad as this guy."

"Stop talking!" the officer said, ramming his gun into Kyle's back.

Soon they taken into a throne room, where a large ape about 7 feet tall, was sitting in a chair. He turned his chair around to face them.

"Andross!" Fox shouted, "How in the hell…?!"

"I am NOT Andross." the ape said, "I am his brother, Bruno."

__

'WHAT?!' Fox thought, _'Andross has a brother?! You've GOT to be kidding!'_

"For several years I've been looking forward to meeting the famous Fox McCloud," said Bruno, "who continued to dance, but ceased to amuse. Now that I've got you, I'm going to do what my brother couldn't do: take over the Lylat system! Only this time, _you_ won't be able to get in the way. Captain, do the deed."

The Captain took out a syringe and plugged it into Kyle's neck, injecting an anesthetic into him. As Kyle passed out, the Captain did the same to Fox.

* * *

Fox slowly woke up, finding himself lying in a dark area. After his head stopped spinning, it didn't take him long to realize that he was lying in a dumpster. As he pushed open the lid he found that he was no longer wearing his gloves or his boots. Kyle, who was lying next to him, was in the same boat. Fox reached for his PDA, but it too was gone.

"Shit!" he said.

Fox climbed out of the dumpster. As he started brushing off his clothes and fur, Kyle began to come around.

"Man, have I got a headache." he said, as he started to wake up.

"You all right?" asked Fox.

"I think so." Kyle said, climbing out. 

As his bare paws touched the ground, Kyle looked down.

"Where are my boots?" he asked, "And where are _your_ boots?"

"It must've been Bruno." said Fox. "He probably took our stuff before he had us put here. Wherever 'here' is."

Kyle looked around.

"Wait… I recognize this place." he said, "Yeah, this is the alley, where Wolf and I were attacked by those gangsters! We're on Corneria!"

"What?!" said Fox, "Corneria? Why would he put us back on Corneria?"

"You got me." said Kyle. "What I'm wondering is, why didn't they just kill us when they had the chance?"

Fox and Kyle started walking out of the alley. The ground felt unpleasant beneath their bare paws. Suddenly, Fox felt a sharp pain in his paw.

"OW!" he screamed.

Fox looked at his paw and found that he had stepped on a piece of glass. There were several pieces of glass, scattered in front of them. After pulling the glass out, his paw started to bleed. Noticing this, Kyle quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a roll of bandages.

"Good thing I always keep these on me, just in case." he said, opening it.

He wrapped some bandage around Fox's paw, tore off the other end and put the rest away.

"Thanks." said Fox.

"Just doing my job."

They carefully picked up each and every piece of glass that they could find and put them in the dumpster. Then they left the alley, being careful not to step on anything else. As they reached the end, Kyle stopped.

"Let's see." he said, "We split up right here. I ran this way, and Wolf went…"

Suddenly, he stopped and began sniffing in the other direction.

"What's up?" asked Fox.

"That scent! Can… can it be?!"

Kyle ran in the direction that the scent was coming from. Fox shrugged and ran after him.

"Wait up, Kyle!"

________________________________________________________________________

End of Chapter 3


	5. Friends reunited

****

Chapter 4 – Friends reunited

Wolf peeked around the corner of another alley, out of breath with his heart pounding. He'd been running from the police, who were after him for trespassing at the military headquarters. None of them believed that he was really leaving Andross either. Wolf wasn't about to start shooting cops, since they were only doing their jobs, so he ran for his life. Eventually the police were forced to give up the chase after being called to handle an emergency and now they were gone.

"If only I'd stayed with Kyle." Wolf said, remembering the day they parted, "But noooo, I had to run the other way. I had to let Andross find me and use me like he did."

Wolf's past still continued to haunt him. He pulled out his blaster.

"I might as well end the torment now." he said.

He pointed the blaster at his chest, ready to end his life once and for all. But before he could pull the trigger, he suddenly caught a familiar scent.

"That scent!" he said, "Is that…? Can that be…?"

Holstering his blaster, he ran out of the alley and looked around until he heard a voice.

"Wolf?"

Wolf turned to face the voice and couldn't believe his eye.

"Kyle? Is that really you?"

Kyle and Wolf ran towards each other and hugged. Wolf hadn't even noticed Fox standing next to Kyle.

"Wolf, I'm so glad to see you again! I really missed you!" said Kyle.

"Me too, Kyle."

It wasn't until they let go of each other that Kyle noticed Wolf's eye patch.

"Good God!" he said, "How did you lose your eye?!"

"Well, I don't like to be reminded," said Wolf, "but you may remember when we were chased by those thugs, right?"

"Yeah. Those assholes!"

"They certainly were. I ran to another alley to hide, but they eventually found me and… well, let's just say I wound up looking at the wrong end of a gun."

"You're kidding!" said Kyle.

"I wish. Anyway, I blacked out from the pain and next thing I knew, I was in a medical bed with my eye bandaged. I found out later that Andross had found me and brought me to Venom with him. Long story short, he convinced me to fight for his cause and made me the leader of his mercenary team, Star Wolf. But I don't want to talk any more about that. What happened with you?"

Kyle told Wolf his story. Wolf sighed.

"You always were the smart one." he said, "Always knowing the best places to sleep and where to find food. I really wish I'd stayed with you."

"So do I." said Kyle.

Wolf then noticed Fox standing in front of him. For a few seconds, they just looked at each other. Finally, Fox spoke.

"Well, Wolf, I'm here. If you want to kill me now, you'll never get a cleaner shot."

Fox kept his eyes on Wolf's hands. He was waiting for Wolf to go for his blaster, so that he could disarm and overpower him. But to his surprise, Wolf's hands went nowhere near his blaster.

"Fox," he said, "I assure you, that's the last thing I want to try again."

Fox couldn't believe his ears. This meant that the letter was true. Wolf really had changed his ways.

"Listen. All those times I tried to kill you…"

Fox held up his hand.

"I know, Wolf." he said, "General Pepper showed me your letter. I was just testing you."

"Finally!" Wolf said, "Someone believes me!"

"What do you mean?" asked Kyle.

"The police wouldn't believe my story." he said, "They even thought that I was faking my wingmen's deaths."

"So you really did kill them?" asked Fox.

"I didn't have much of a choice. They would've done the same to me if I just left them. None of them really cared for me that much either. I even overheard Pigma say that if he'd been shot down one more time, I would be his next kill. As for the police, they're also after me for trespassing in the military headquarters. But how else was I going to get my letter to the General? If I tried walking in, the guards would've shot me on sight."

"Tell you what, Wolf," said Fox, "If you help us out, I can talk to the General and see to it that you're pardoned."

"You would do that for me?" asked Wolf.

"If you can help us out."

"Fine. What do you have in mind?"

Fox told him everything that happened to them.

"So, Andross' brother did this to you?" said Wolf.

"You know him?" Kyle asked.

"Never met him in person, but Andrew spoke highly of him."

"So, what do you say?" asked Fox. "Help us, and I'll make sure the charges against you are dropped."

"Okay. It's a deal." Wolf said, shaking Fox's hand.

________________________________________________________________________

End of Chapter 4


	6. The good guys strike back

****

Chapter 5 – The good guys strike back

Kyle panted as he, Fox, and Wolf ran to the Great Fox.

"Shouldn't we… find the… rest of the team first?" he asked.

"There's no time." said Fox, "We've gotta hurry!"

Fox, Kyle, and Wolf got aboard the Great Fox.

"ROB," said Fox, "take us into orbit."

"Yes, sir." said ROB.

Suddenly, ROB noticed Wolf.

"Enemy detected!" he said. "Engaging enemy!"

ROB ran to Wolf, grabbed his throat and lifted him in the air! Wolf was gasping for air as ROB's grip tightened.

"ROB, STOP!" Fox shouted, "He's a friend!"

Rob let go of Wolf, who began breathing for dear life as he hit the floor.

"Acknowledged." he said, "Forgive me, friend."

"Forget about it." Wolf said, still holding his throat in pain.

The Great Fox took off. After a few minutes, ROB detected a Venom command ship.

"Venom command cruiser detected." said ROB. "Should I open fire, sir?"

"No." said Fox, "We need to get on it."

"Acknowledged. I will slow our approach and stand off at a safe distance."

"That must be Bruno's ship." said Kyle. "I wonder why it's just sitting there, though."

"And how are we going to get on without detection?" asked Wolf.

"I'm thinking. I'm thinking." said Fox.

Suddenly, Fox remembered the ring that Krystal gave him.

"I've got it!" he said, "I'll be right back."

Fox went to his quarters and searched for the ring. After about a minute, he found it on his nightstand. Grabbing the ring, he ran back to the command post, where Wolf and Kyle were waiting.

"What have you got there?" asked Wolf

"A friend of mine gave this to me." Fox said, holding up the ring, "It's supposedly able to teleport whoever wears it to anywhere that they've previously been."

"Does it work?"

"I don't know. I haven't tested it yet, but it may be our only option."

Wolf shrugged and held Fox's hand after Fox put the ring on his finger. Kyle took Fox's other hand. Closing his eyes, Fox pictured the room that he'd been in on Bruno's ship. After a few seconds, they all teleported. They were instantly brought to the throne room. Fox opened his eyes.

"It works!" he said.

Wolf turned around, drew his blaster, and pointed it at Bruno's chair. To his relief, Bruno wasn't there.

"Looks like he's not here." he said, holstering his blaster.

Fox heard footsteps outside the room.

"Uh oh. I think someone's coming!"

They frantically looked around for a hiding place.

"Over there!" Kyle said, pointing to a vent.

Quickly, they ran to the vent. Wolf and Kyle gave Fox a boost, while he opened the vent. Fox climbed in and helped Kyle inside. Kyle did the same for Wolf. Almost immediately, two guards came into the room carrying rifles. They looked around the room briefly.

"What'd you hear, Frank?" one of the guards asked.

"I thought I heard someone talking in here."

"Well, I don't see anyone else in here."

"Ah, never mind. I was probably just hearing things."

"Whatever."

Fox, Kyle, and Wolf all breathed a sigh of relief as the guards left the room.

"So, what happens now?" asked Kyle.

"Well, first we should get our stuff back." said Fox, "Then we'll need to find out Bruno's plans and catch him in the act."

"That officer who drugged you might know something." said Wolf "If we can find him, I might be able to force some information out of him."

"Sounds like a plan." said Fox, "Kyle, do you recognize his scent?"

"Do I ever." said Kyle. "I sure wish he'd take a bath!"

"Good. Kyle, you lead the way and try to find him."

Kyle began sniffing around for the Captain. It wasn't long until he caught the Captain's scent.

"This way." he said.

Fox and Wolf followed. They all stopped as they heard Bruno's voice.

"I want every fighter and transport to be prepped and ready when I give the orders. You got that?"

"Yes, sir."

They heard the sound of a door closing.

"Now's our chance." said Fox.

As Kyle reached vent he looked inside. The Captain was at his desk, preparing a report. Kyle tried to open the vent, but it was stuck.

"Stand aside." said Wolf.

"No, wait!"

Wolf kicked the vent open. The Captain turned around and looked. After noticing the open vent, he looked at it for a few seconds and went back to his work.

"This ship is falling apart!" he said.

Once again, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Be more careful next time!" Fox whispered.

"Sorry." said Wolf.

Wolf handed Kyle his blaster and silently dropped down from the vent. Kyle pointed the blaster at the Captain. Wolf snuck up behind the Captain, grabbed him around the neck, pulled the Captain's gun out of its holster, and pointed it to his head.

"What the hell…?!" the Captain said.

"What are your boss' plans?" asked Wolf.

"Go to hell! I won't tell you anything!"

"You might want to reconsider your answer." Wolf said, turning him around.

"Hi there." Kyle said, waving.

"You?!"

"Don't think I'll miss just because I'm a doctor!"

"Now, this is your last chance." said Wolf, "Tell me your boss' plans or you'll be staring at your brains on the wall."

"Alright! Alright! I'll tell you! He's sent an assassin to the Cornerian military headquarters to kill the General. After the General's been assassinated, he's going to attack the planet."

"That must be why he left us there." Kyle told Fox, "He must've planned on having us killed in the invasion."

"Ask him where our stuff is." Fox said to Wolf.

"Where did you put those things that you stole from Fox McCloud?" asked Wolf.

"In that bag on the desk." the Captain said, pointing to a duffel bag on his desk.

"That's all we need to know." said Fox.

"Thank you." Wolf said to the Captain.

Wolf struck the Captain in the head with the blaster and tossed it aside. As the Captain fell to the ground unconscious, Fox and Kyle dropped down out of the vent. 

Kyle handed Wolf's blaster back to him, as Fox grabbed the duffel bag. He opened the bag and found everything that was taken from him: his blaster, his PDA, and his boots; as well as Kyle's blaster and boots.

"I'll take these." Kyle said, grabbing his boots and putting them on. 

Fox took his boots, and put them back on. He handed Kyle's blaster to him and returned his own blaster to its holster. Then, after putting his PDA back on, he called Falco.

* * *

"Where could they be?" said Slippy, "The movie starts in a half hour!"

"I know." said Peppy, "It's not like Fox to be this late."

Suddenly, Falco's PDA started beeping.

"I wonder who that could be." he said, pushing the button.

Fox's face appeared.

"Falco…" he said.

"Fox!" said Falco, "Where in the hell's bathroom have you…?!"

"It's a long story." Fox interrupted, "No time to explain, right now. Listen, someone's about to assassinate the General."

"Pepper?" asked Slippy.

"Yes, and a Venom fleet is going to attack the planet afterwards. You've got to warn Pepper, now! Before it's too late!"

The transmission ended.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to see the movie another day." said Peppy, as they ran to the headquarters.

________________________________________________________________________

End of Chapter 5


	7. Wolf in a wolf's clothing

****

Chapter 6 – Wolf in a wolf's clothing

Bill and General Pepper were standing outside the military headquarters talking to each other as the sniper climbed to the roof of a nearby building. He opened his case and began assembling his rifle. Once it was completely put together, he loaded it and aimed at the General's head.

"Remember, I want Wolf brought here alive."

"No problem, General."

Suddenly, the General heard Peppy's voice behind him say, "General, get down!"

Peppy jumped on Pepper and pushed him to the ground as the sniper fired. The bullet just barely missed them both.

"What the devil?!" said Pepper.

"What's going on?" asked Bill.

Falco, who had seen the sniper, pointed at the roof and shouted, "Assassin at 3 O'clock!"

Bill looked up.

"Stop right there!" he shouted, after spotting the assassin.

Bill and Falco chased after the assassin, who had dropped his rifle and was now running for his life. Unfortunately for him, he didn't get very far. Falco drew his blaster and shot the sniper in the leg. The sniper tripped and fell, holding his leg in pain. It wasn't long until they caught up to him.

"Don't move a muscle!" Falco said, as he and Bill pointed their blasters at him.

"Please, don't shoot! I was just following orders!"

"Well, now you can follow MY orders." said Bill, "Get up and put your hands up, NOW!"

The sniper did as Bill told him. They escorted the sniper to Pepper at gunpoint.

* * *

Wolf looked at the Captain's unconscious body.

"Fox," he said, "I have an idea."

Wolf began stripping the officer of his uniform and changed into it.

"Hey, you look just like him!" said Kyle.

"I know." Wolf said, "Now, if I can find some explosives, I can plant them on this ship and set them off after we all get off."

"Well, good luck." said Fox, "I'm gonna get back on the Great Fox and see if I can help do some damage to the enemy fleet. I'll come back later to deal with Bruno. Kyle, I want you to come with me and be ready to do your thing if one of us gets injured."

"Here, take these with you." Wolf said, handing Kyle his regular clothes.

Kyle nodded. He held Wolf's clothes in one arm and took Fox's hand.

"I hope they save the General." he said, before they teleported away.

* * *

As soon as Fox and Kyle arrived on the Great Fox, Fox's PDA started beeping. He pushed the button and Falco's face appeared.

"We caught the assassin, Fox." he said, "He was on a roof, trying to snipe the General, but Peppy pushed him down and the bullet missed. Bill, and I have the assassin at gunpoint now."

"Does Pepper know about the attack?" asked Fox.

"Affirmative." said Falco, "The Cornerian fleet's ready to defend the planet and Bill's squad is here to back them up."

"Great work, Falco. Have the assassin tell his boss that he's taken out Pepper, then we'll watch the expressions on their faces as they get blown away!"

"Roger that. Falco out."

__

'We'll see who's in checkmate now!' Fox thought.

* * *

"Alright, asshole." said Falco, "Tell your boss that you've killed the general."

"What?!"

"You heard him." said Bill, "DO IT!"

Nervously keeping his eyes on the blasters pointed at him, the assassin pulled out a radio and called Bruno.

"This is unit 41." he said, "I've taken out the target."

"Excellent." said Bruno, "Get back here, and we'll discuss your reward. Bruno out."

"Alright, boys," said Bill, "take him away."

Bill pushed the assassin into the arms of several guards, who placed him under arrest.

* * *

Wolf arrived at the armory, where a lizard guard was standing guard. The guard saluted and opened the door, letting Wolf in, and closed it behind him. There were a large number of weapons all around, including rifles, grenades, and bazookas.

"Wow!" he said, "I feel like a pup in a candy store!"

After about a minute, Wolf found the explosives.

"Excellent!" he said, taking a detonator, "A little C4 knocking at your door!"

Wolf picked up a duffel bag and put some C4 charges inside it. As he left the armory, and got out of the lizard guard's sight, he began looking for places to plant the explosives.

* * *

The transport landed at the Cornerian headquarters.

"Move out!" ordered a Venom officer.

Venom troops began filing out of the transport, only to find themselves surrounded by dozens of Cornerian soldiers, who all had their guns aimed at them. What surprised them even more was that General Pepper was with them, with his blaster drawn.

"Drop your weapons!" he ordered.

The Venom soldiers immediately obeyed Pepper's order and put their hands up.

* * *

"Great shooting, Fox." said Bill.

"I wish I had a credit for every time I heard that." Fox replied.

More fighters came behind Fox and started firing.

"Shit! They're behind me!" he said.

"I got you covered, Fox."

Bill headed towards the enemy fighters. Fox was making evasive maneuvers to try and avoid their shots, but one lucky laser bolt struck his wing.

"Damn! I'm hit!" he shouted, "Hurry, Bill!"

"Hang on, Fox!"

Bill got behind the fighters and opened fire. In less than five seconds, they were toast. Fox breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks." he said, "That was too close."

The Venom fleet was almost completely destroyed by Bill's squad and every last invading soldier had been captured.

"Alright, I'm gonna go back and deal with their boss." Fox said, "You gonna be alright by yourself, Bill?"

"Sure, no problem. Good luck, Fox. I'll catch you later."

"Let's hope so."

Fox flew back to the docking bay on the Great Fox. After exiting the arwing, he teleported back on Bruno's ship.

________________________________________________________________________

End of Chapter 6


	8. Fox vs Bruno

****

Chapter 7 – Fox vs. Bruno

"Sir, we're taking heavy losses! The Cornerians have us outnum…"

The pilot's transmission was cut off by static. Bruno pounded his fist into the arm of his chair.

"I don't believe this!" he said, "They knew of our attack! But how?!"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" a voice behind him said.

It was Fox, and he had his blaster pointed at Bruno's head. Bruno chuckled as he turned his chair around.

"Well, Fox McCloud, it seems I've underestimated you." he said, "You are indeed a worthy opponent."

"You should've killed us when you had the chance." said Fox, "It wasn't very bright of you to try to have us killed in an invasion. Especially since I warned them of your attack. Did I also forget to mention that your assassin did NOT kill General Pepper?"

"What?!"

"That's right. He's alive and well, thanks to my wingman. I just had him force your assassin to report a successful hit, so that we could watch the expressions on your pilots' faces when they got blown away."

"You are quite clever." Bruno said, standing up, "Now, why don't we settle this like gentlemen?" 

"You want to play it that way?" Fox said, tossing his blaster aside, "Fine by me."

Bruno threw a punch at Fox, but Fox ducked and punched Bruno's chest. He then realized his mistake as pain shot through his hand. Bruno just laughed and punched Fox in the stomach. Fox fell to the floor, struggling to breathe.

"Come on, get up!" Bruno taunted, "Show me what you've got!"

Fox slowly got up. After dodging a few more punches, Fox attempted to kick Bruno, but he caught Fox's leg and threw him into a wall! As Fox struggled to get up, Bruno walked over to him and picked him up by his throat. Fox started coughing and gasping for air, as Bruno's grip tightened.

"You know," Bruno said, "for the guy who killed my brother twice, you don't seem so tough."

"Yeah?" Fox said, still struggling to breathe, "Well, appearances can be deceiving!"

Fox kicked Bruno across the face as hard as he could. Bruno let go of Fox's throat and started holding his face in pain as Fox caught his breath. Despite having his boots back on, his toes were hurting from the kick. That was the least of his concerns, however. He dropped down and punched Bruno, as hard as he could, right between the legs! Then, as Bruno screamed and held his crotch in pain, Fox grabbed him and threw him into the wall!

"Not bad." Bruno said, "I must say, I'm impressed."

He reached into his coat.

"But I bet you weren't expecting this!" 

Bruno pulled out a Beretta and pointed the weapon at Fox, who dove for his blaster just as Bruno fired. He picked up the blaster and pointed it at Bruno, but unfortunately he wasn't fast enough and Bruno's second shot hit Fox in the chest. Fox dropped his blaster and fell to the floor holding his wound. Bruno then pointed the gun at Fox's head.

"And now, you shall join your dear father." he said.

Bruno was then hit by several bullets and fell to the ground. He looked up to see Wolf standing there, dressed as the Captain, and pointing a smoking gun in his direction. Wolf took off the Captain's sunglasses, revealing his eye patch.

"You!" Bruno said, "Wolf O'Donnell!"

"Hello, there." Wolf said, "I've got something to tell you, Bruno. Remember your son, Andrew?"

"What does he have to do with this?"

"He's dead. And **I** killed him!"

"WHAT?!"

As they were talking, Fox reached for his blaster. He kept one hand over his wound, trying his best to slow the bleeding.

"That's right. I shot down his Wolfen and then shot him in the head!"

To Wolf's surprise, Bruno stood back up and took a few steps toward him. Wolf pulled the trigger again, but the gun was out of ammo.

"You shouldn't have wasted all those bullets." Bruno said.

He lifted his shirt, revealing a Kevlar vest underneath. As Bruno pointed his gun at Wolf, Fox grabbed his blaster and slowly pointed it at Bruno's head. Wolf dropped his empty weapon and put his hands up.

"So, you killed my son, did you? Well, now it's your turn to die."

"Don't… be so sure!" Fox said.

Bruno turned around, only to find himself staring down the barrel of Fox's blaster. Without wasting another second, Fox fired, hitting Bruno right between the eyes! Wolf quickly got out of the way, as Bruno's huge body fell forward and hit the floor hard. Bruno was dead before he even hit the floor. Wolf ran to Fox.

"Fox! Are you alright?" he said.

Fox had already passed out from the pain. Wolf pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket, lifted Fox's hand, and held the handkerchief to Fox's wound.

"Hang in there, Fox. I'll get you out of here."

He pulled the ring off Fox's finger and put it on. Then, holding Fox close, he teleported with him to the Great Fox. Kyle was still watching the battle from the command post until he noticed Fox and Wolf.

"Fox has been shot!" Wolf said, "You've got to help him!"

Kyle quickly grabbed his bag of medical supplies and rushed to help Fox.

"Give me some room!" he said.

Wolf got out of the way, pulled out a remote, and activated the detonators. Bruno's ship exploded in a ball of fire, but Kyle paid no attention to it. Fox's life was in danger, and Kyle had a job to do.

"Laser or bullet?" he asked.

"Bullet."

Kyle nodded. After removing Fox's jacket and shirt, he pulled a set of tweezers out of his bag and dug them into the wound until he found the bullet. After pulling it out, he set them aside, checked Fox's pulse, and listened for a heartbeat. His heart was still beating normally and his pulse was still steady. Kyle sighed with relief.

"Fox's going to be okay." he said, pulling out a roll of bandage.

* * *

"I think he's waking up!"

When Fox opened his eyes, he was lying in his bed on the Great Fox. His wound was tightly bandaged. ROB, Wolf, and Kyle were looking down at him and Wolf was back in his normal clothes.

"Are you feeling okay, sir?" asked ROB.

"Yeah." Fox said, "How did I get here?"

"Wolf used that ring of yours to get you here." said Kyle.

"That reminds me…" Wolf said, reaching into his pocket. "I forgot to give it back to you."

He pulled out the ring and tossed it to Fox, who caught it.

"What about Bruno's ship?" Fox asked.

"Destroyed." said Wolf, "I set off the detonators after we got off. Sorry you had to miss the fireworks, though."

"You sure are lucky, Fox." said Kyle, "That bullet just barely missed your heart, but I managed to remove it. Having all things considered, you should be just fine."

Smiling, Fox said, "Well, I guess I should be thankful to have such a good doctor on my crew."

Kyle smiled back.

"Just doing my job. Now, lets let Fox get some rest."

ROB, Kyle, and Wolf started to leave the room.

"Wolf," said Fox.

Wolf turned around.

"Thanks for saving me."

"No," Wolf said, "thank _you_ for trusting me. You were the only one who believed me, when I said that I'd given up my evil ways."

Wolf started to leave.

"Wolf,"

"Yes?"

"How would you like to join the team?"

Wolf started to think about it.

"I'm going to need more time to think about that." he said.

Wolf walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. Fox looked at the ring in his hand for a few seconds, remembering when Krystal gave it to him.

* * *

__

"Before I go, I want you to have this in return for saving my life."

Krystal pulled out a ring and handed it to Fox.

__

"It will allow you to teleport to any place that you've been before. You need only to picture that place in your mind and you will instantly be brought there."

* * *

Fox never realized how much it would come in handy until now.

"Thank you, Krystal." he said. "You've saved my life."

* * *

"It's alright, Wolf." said Kyle, "Fox has explained everything to them and now they want to thank you."

Nervously, Wolf walked into Fox's room, where Peppy, Slippy, and Falco were waiting.

"Wolf," Slippy said, holding out his hand, "I'm sorry I ever doubted you. Thanks for saving Fox."

Wolf smiled and shook Slippy's hand.

"And I have to thank you for killing Pigma for me." said Peppy. "I had my doubts about you too, but I'm glad I was wrong."

"Alright, I'll admit it." Falco said, "I was wrong about you too."

Wolf's former wingmen were nothing like the Star Fox team. They didn't care about him or his well being. All they cared about was the rewards for carrying out Andross' orders. The Star Fox team was caring and respected each other. It seemed like just the right place for Wolf now.

"So, what do you say, Wolf?" asked Fox.

Looking Fox in the eye, Wolf said, "I'd be proud to join the team."

________________________________________________________________________

End of Chapter 7


	9. A visit from James

****

Chapter 8 – A visit from James

Later that night, Fox tossed and turned and couldn't sleep. He was still thinking about his father. A few minutes later, he felt a cold, chilling presence in the room with him. Opening his eyes, he was astonished to see the spirit of James McCloud standing right next to his bed! James was wearing the same uniform he had on when he went on his last mission, including his sunglasses.

"Hello, Fox." he said.

Fox threw the covers aside, sat up, rubbed his eyes, and looked again.

"D-Dad?!"

James sat down next to Fox.

"I'm proud of you, Son." he said, "You have done very well. If not for your efforts, General Pepper would be dead and Corneria City would be devastated."

Fox looked at James for a few seconds, then said, "Dad, I… I really miss you."

"I know, Fox, but don't feel bad about me. You're a grown fox, now. Pull yourself together!"

Not knowing what to say, Fox looked at the floor between his paws. James took off his sunglasses and put his hand Fox's shoulder.

"Look, I know that my death must've been hard on you," he said in a calmer tone, "but there was nothing you could've done to prevent it. Besides, you shouldn't beat yourself up about what happened to me. You should be proud of yourself for avenging my death, defeating Andross and his brother, and saving the Lylat System. You're a great hero, Fox."

Fox smiled and looked James in the eye.

"Thanks, Dad."

He closed his eyes as he and James hugged each other one last time.

"Take care of yourself and the Great Fox." James said, "Remember, I will always be with you. I love you, Son."

"I love you too, Dad."

The apparition slowly vanished. When Fox opened his eyes, he wondered if he had really seen James or if it was just a wonderful dream. Dream or not, it made him feel better. He lay back down on his bed and put the covers back on. For the rest of the night, he had no trouble getting sleep.

* * *

"So it was Wolf who discovered his plans?" General Pepper asked.

"That's right." Fox said.

"It's true." said Kyle, "I was there."

"Not only that," said Fox, "but when I got shot, he got me off that ship so that Kyle could save me."

"Are you serious?!"

Fox and Kyle nodded.

"Well, in that case," Pepper said, "he has my forgiveness. I'll dismiss charges against him immediately. In fact, I think he deserves a medal for what he's done."

________________________________________________________________________

End of Chapter 8


	10. Epilogue Wolf's reward

****

Chapter 9 – Wolf's reward

Wolf walked through the door and started down the aisle, where several Cornerian soldiers were facing him and saluting. As he reached the podium, where General Pepper was standing, the soldiers turned to face the General and stood at attention. Fox and Bill were standing on either side of Pepper.

"Wolf O'Donnell," Pepper said, "For your efforts in helping to save Corneria, I have hereby dismissed all charges against you. You are an enemy to our planet no longer. Furthermore, it is my privilege to present you with a medal of honor."

Pepper handed the medal to Bill, who walked up to Wolf. Wolf lowered his head as Bill placed the medal on Wolf's neck and shook his hand.

"Congratulations."

Fox, Bill, Pepper, and the soldiers applauded. Wolf's tail was wagging with joy. For the first time in his life, he had done the right thing and was being appreciated for it. He felt as if he had died and been reborn.

* * *

"Kyle, I want to thank you… for saving my life." Wolf said, as he and Kyle headed to the pool.

"Oh, no problem." said Kyle, "I was… pardon?"

"Ever since we got separated, my life was getting shattered. I lost my eye, I lost you: my best friend, and I was hated across the Lylat system. Just before I caught your scent back in that alley I was about to kill myself."

Kyle's eyes opened wide. He could not believe what he had just heard.

"But you, stopped me from doing the unthinkable." Wolf continued, "It was you who helped me get back on my feet again. If I hadn't met you, I might never have amounted to anything. I couldn't ask for a better friend."

Kyle smiled.

"Right back at you." he said, as they hugged each other.

"Now, last one in's a rotten egg!"

* * *

After spending an hour or two in the pool, Wolf looked up at Fox, who was playing his chess game in front of the pool with his paws in the water. He growled as the computer took one of his Rooks. Wolf waded up to him.

"Fox, could I ask you a favor?" Wolf said.

"What's up?" Fox asked, keeping his eyes on the game.

"I guess you kind of figured, but Andross didn't train me very well. Do you think you could give me some better training, so I could be more useful to you."

"Sure. No problem."

"Thanks, Fox."

Wolf looked at the chessboard and whispered, "Knight to D-6."

Fox was about to make a different move, but looking more closely at the board, he smiled and made the move that Wolf told him. His Knight was putting the computer's King in check and its Queen was also in the Knight's path. The computer had no choice but to move its King, and afterwards, Fox took the computer's Queen. After a few more moves, Fox was able to put his Queen right next to the computer's King, with the Knight in his Queen's path.

"Checkmate." the computer's voice said, "You win."

"You know, Wolf." Fox said, "I think it's gonna be good to have you on the team."

________________________________________________________________________

I do sincerely hope you all enjoyed this story, and I would like to thank all of you who have read and reviewed it. God bless.


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